Shuttle bus drivers in Onitsha, Anambra State have protested alleged incessant extortion by touts and illegal revenue agents as well as lack of motor parks in the commercial city of the state.

The protesters, who blocked the ever-busy Onitsha end of the bridge, said the extortion followed government’s inability to provide motor parks for them.

The protest, which lasted for about two hours, led to heavy gridlock which forced some commuters to disembark from their vehicles to trek to their destinations.

One of the drivers, Oliver Eluwa, wondered why they would continue to suffer extortion after paying the agreed levy to government coffers.

He vowed they were prepared to continue the protest if nothing was done to stop the ugly development.

He said, “We decided to embark on the protest for Governor Chukwuma Soludo to feel the negative impact of what we are passing through in the hands of the touts and come to their rescue.

“We have been paying the agreed levy on mini busses but have no designated parks for those of us plying along the Onitsha/Asaba/Enugu expressway.

“In any bus stop we pull up, they will rush to us and say we are not supposed to park there, and forcefully collect thousands of naira from us.

“Some of us who refuse to pay will be beaten black and blue for daring them, and that is why we protest for government to provide motor parks for us.

“We will continue the protest if nothing is done today to stop the touts and parks provided for us.”

Reacting, a local vigilante operative, who preferred anonymity, said he was among those sent to stop the protest but were unable to avoid clash in view of what he termed an “intimidating” number of the protesters.

“They are not supposed to block the bridge because of travelers from other parts of the country who ply to and from Onitsha. But we decided to allow them to protest to avoid a bloody clash,” he explained. (The Nation)

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